Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Doble Diamante Red

In 2024, Altadis U.S.A. released a variation of its regular production Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Diamante line that was not only made with a different blend but also featured a massive price tag.

$150.

When it was introduced the Doble Diamante, the limited edition $150 cigar, was actually more expensive than the combined prices of the six cigars that make up the regular production Edición Diamante line.

Earlier this year, the company announced a new variation, the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Doble Diamante Red. Like the original Doble Diamante, the Doble Diamante Red is a 6 1/2 x 54 toro extra with an MSRP of $150.The newest incarnation is made with tobacco from AJ Fernandez’s Finca La Lilia and San Lotano farms in Estelí—most of the tobacco comes from the farms’ first and second harvests—and they were rolled at the Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. factory.

Production is limited to just 5,000 cigars, with 250 glossy, red-and-white boxes created, each containing 20 cigars.

“The Doble Diamante Red represents our continued pursuit of perfection within the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary line,” said Rafael Nodal, vp of product capability for Tabacalera USA, in a press release. “By selecting exceptional tobaccos from A.J. Fernandez’s personal reserve, we were able to craft a blend that delivers remarkable depth, richness and balance while honoring the elegance and tradition that define Montecristo.”

• Cigar Reviewed: Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Doble Diamante Red
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Shape: Pressed
• MSRP: $150 (Box of 20, $3,000)
• Release Date: April 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: 250 Boxes of 20 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Long and boxy in hand, the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Doble Diamante Red cigars are covered in dark brown wrappers with a reddish tint that is only accentuated by the red foot bands. All three cigars have long, thin, flat veins, and, despite lacking any significant oil, the wrappers are velvety smooth to the touch. The cigars are firm when squeezed with no soft spots, and the soft box-pressing looks to be very well done. A combination of sweet wood and barnyard leads the aromas from all three wrappers, followed by dark chocolate, earthiness, creamy leather and coffee beans. The first cigar has a noticeable but far from overwhelming astringency emanating from its foot, while the other two cigars feature an abundance of cocoa nibs along with leather, creamy oak, sweet breadiness, nuttiness and a light vegetal note. The astringency is present on the cold draw of the first cigar—albeit barely—along with more dark chocolate, coffee grounds, oak, generic nuttiness, earth and dry hay. The last two cigars are more similar in nature, with strong cocoa nibs, creamy oak, leather tack, gritty earth, coffee grounds and tree bark.

The cigars start out with some light spice on my tongue and espresso flavor, although interestingly, virtually no pepper at all. After about 10 puffs, main flavors of creamy oak and dark chocolate take over the profiles of all three cigars, while secondary notes of gritty earth, herbs, generic nuttiness, dry hay, and coffee beans flit in and out. Just before the first third comes to an end, the first two cigars develop a distinct citrus peel flavor on the finish. The retrohales of all three cigars feature a similar combination of light black pepper and honey sweetness, but the second cigar is sweeter, while the third cigar has more pepper. Flavor ends the first third at medium-full, while both the body and strength land at a solid medium. Construction-wise, the burn lines are a bit wavy across the board, but there is plenty of thick smoke and the draw resistance is excellent after straight cuts.

During the second third, the amount of spice on my tongue increases slightly, but the combination of dark chocolate and creamy oak continues to top the profiles of all three cigars. At various points, additional flavors of toasted bread, dry leaves, pencil lead, nutmeg and earth show up. The citrus peel note remains on the finish of the first two cigars, but the third cigar has developed a flavor that reminds me of raw broccoli. There is virtually no change in the retrohales: the first and second cigars feature a nice, balanced combination of black pepper and honey sweetness, while the third cigar has more black pepper and less honey. Flavor remains medium-full and the body remains a solid medium, but the strength has increased slightly to land just over the medium mark. Wavy burn lines continue, but only the third cigar becomes problematic enough to need attention from my lighter.

In the final third, there are very few changes in the main profiles of the three cigars, as the familiar combination of oak and dark chocolate outpaces secondary notes of gritty earth, creamy peanuts, sourdough bread, leather tack, bitter espresso, and dry hay. The amount of black pepper on the retrohale has increased across all three cigars, but the second cigar also has a bit more honey sweetness than the other two. Rich espresso is now the dominant flavor on the finish for each cigar, but the third cigar lacks the significant spice that other two have. Flavor ends at medium-full, the body at a solid medium and the strength at medium-plus. In terms of construction, the smoke emanating from the feet is plentiful, the draws are excellent, but the burns on two of the three cigars need correction.

Final Notes

• Altadis U.S.A. says that one of the main reasons these cigars are priced the way they are is that they were aged for several years before being released.
• As a reminder, we don’t factor price into the scores of any of our reviews.
• While $100+ cigars were not exactly commonplace during the 2026 PCA Convention & Trade Show, I find it interesting that Altadis U.S.A. was showing off two different $150: the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Doble Diamante Red and the Montecristo Follow The Stars Tribute Humidor cigar.

• The design of the boxes is extremely similar to what was used for the original Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Doble Diamante, pictured above, only with a red color scheme instead of white.
• The company has this listed as a medium-full to full cigar blend. I found it to be more of a medium-plus cigar.

• While each cigar needed a single burn correction at some point, the ash formation was extremely compact and stayed together very well, as you can see from the photograph above.
• JR Cigar, a sister company to Altadis U.S.A., advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• These cigars are listed as being 6 1/2 x 52 vitolas. Above are the measurements we took when we measured them. This is the third consecutive review of a box-pressed cigar made by an AJ Fernandez factory that has been measured more than two ring gauges below its listed size. The Aging Room Blue Amber Blue Turquoise is listed at 60, but we found it to be closer to 54. The taper and band positions made it difficult to measure, but to give you an idea, even measuring over the band, they were sub 56-ring gauge. In addition, the 601 Blue 20th Anniversary is listed as a 56-ring gauge cigar, but our measurements averaged 53.5.
• The final smoking time averaged out to two hours and seven minutes for all three cigars.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Doble Diamante Red cigars, site sponsor Atlantic Cigar Co. sells them on its website.

Altadis U.S.A.
Montecristo (non-Cuban)
Montecristo 1935 Anniversary Edición Doble Diamante Red
Nicaragua
Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
Toro Extra